Implantable Contact Lenses/ICL

Visian ICL

The Visian® ICL, or Implantable Collamer Lens, received FDA approval in December 2005. It is used to treat patients with moderate to severe ranges of nearsightedness. This contact lens-like implant is inserted inside the eye permanently in addition to your already present natural lens. This implant is a miniature artificial lens that is inserted inside the eye, placed behind the cornea and iris and in front of your lens. This technology is permanently placed to increase the focusing power of your natural lens in correcting your vision.

The Visian ICL has been shown to be highly effective for patients with a wide range of refractive errors. In fact, the Visian ICL can correct myopia from as low as -3.0 diopters to -16.0 diopters and reduce myopia from -16.0 diopters up to as high as -20.0 diopters, with or without astigmatism. Until now, some of individuals that were not candidates for surgical eye correction (LASIK) had no choice. Today, there’s the Visian ICL. As of 2008, there were more than 80,000 Visian ICL implants performed worldwide. And when asked about the Visian ICL procedure, over 99% of the patients indicated that they were highly satisfied.

What is ICL (Implantable Contact Lenses)

ICL is what most people refer to as "implantable contact lenses," the FDA prefers the term "implantable collamer lenses" to avoid confusion with regular contact lenses. The implantable lenses are made of collamer, which is a type of collagen. These implantable contact lenses surgically inserted into the eye, giving you a more permanent solution to traditional contact lenses, and if your vision does change, these lenses can be replaced with a different prescription.

Implantable Contact Lens & ICL Surgery

Implantable contact lenses are inserted through a tiny incision made in the cornea. Then they are placed in front of the eye's natural lens. Implantable Collamer Lens have already been shown to be safe and make an effective alternative for treatment of nearsightedness.

Dr. Gulani, with his ability to offer the full spectrum of vision correction surgery, can also perform Advanced Laser Vision Surgery following your ICL implant. This combination surgery, called "Bioptics," can aim to achieve your individual vision goals.